Review: High on Arrival by Mackenzie Phillips

Genre:
Non-Fiction, Memoir

Format:
Audio Book

Publisher:
Simon and Schuster

Release Date:
September 23, 2009

Review: Nevertheless by Alec Baldwin

Genre:
Non-Fiction, Memoir

Format:
Audio Book

Publisher:
Harper Collins

Release Date:
April 4, 2017

Review: Places: The Journey of My Days, My Lives by Thaao Penghlis

Genre:
Non-Fiction, Memoir

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
Open Road Media

Release Date:
July 2014

Review: Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

Genre:
Non-Fiction, Memoir

Format:
Audio

Publisher:
Tantor Audio

Release Date:
June 2012

Review: The Yankee Way: Playing, Coaching and My Life in Baseball by Willie Randolph

Genre:
Non-Fiction

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
IT Books (Harper Collins)

Release Date:
May 2014

Review: Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me by Howie Mandel

Genre:
Non-Fiction, Memoir

Format:
Audio

Publisher:
Random House Audio

Release Date:
November 2009

Review: Dangled Carat by Hilary Grossman

Genre:
Non-Fiction, Memoir

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
Hilary Grossman

Release Date:
September 2013

A Dog Named Slugger by Leigh Brill

Genre:
Non-Fiction, Memoir

Publisher:
Bell Bridge Books

Release Date:
April 2010

Format:
EBook (also available in paperback)

This is from Amazon.com:

Book Description
Publication Date: April 7, 2010

The true life story of a dog who changed everything for one woman. For the first time in my life, I didn't need to pretend, I didn't need to be tough: I only needed to be honest. "I have cerebral palsy. I walk funny and my balance is bad. I fall a lot. My hands shake, too. That means I'm not so good at carrying things. And if I drop stuff, sometimes it's hard to just bend down and get it." I waited anxiously for the interviewer's response. She smiled. "It sounds like a service dog could be great for you." So began Leigh Brill's journey toward independence and confidence, all thanks to a trained companion dog named Slugger. The struggling college student and the Labrador with a "a coat like sunshine" and a tail that never stopped wagging became an instant team. Together, they transformed a challenge into a triumph. Together, they inspired and educated everyone they met. Now, Leigh honors her friend with the story of their life, together.

My thoughts...

This is a touching, sweet story of a woman facing many personal and physical challenges. She gets help from an unexpected source...a service dog. A very special service dog named Slugger.

"A Dog Named Slugger" is written at a fast-paced rate letting readers share Brill's difficult journey from college to adulthood as well as dealing with cerebral palsy. Slugger sounds like a sweetheart. Whether you are an animal lover or not (or a cat lover like me), I think readers will be touched by this book. This story will grab everyone's heart, just make sure to have a box of tissues handy.



For reading challenges:

What an Animal Reading Challenge
2011 Show Me The Free Reading Challenge (From Kobo)


Disclosure: This book is from my own collection and read for my own enjoyment.

Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila by Jeannette Katzir

Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Format: EBook

This is a memoir by Jeanette Katzir. She tells the story of Channa and Nathan (her parents) and their struggles as World War II breaks out and they are ripped away from their families forever. It also gives us an insight into how the future of their family was shaped and molded by the horrors Channa and Nathan went through.

We travel with Channa and her brother as they join the Polish partisans and fight their way to stay alive in the forest. Once the war ends, they return to their home only to find their family is gone. They manage to get out of the country and make their way to America to begin a new life for themselves.

Nathan’s experiences were different in that his family was deported to Auschwitz and killed. Nathan was sent Dachau and put to hard labor, but he managed to escape and make his way to America.

Channa and Nathan meet in America, fall in love and get married. However, their individual experiences in the Holocaust shape their lives and the lives of the five children they have. Channa constantly worries that Nathan will leave her at any time and this causes many problems for her children many years later.

Having been taught by her mother to only trust blood relatives and everyone else is a stranger, the author tries to help her siblings with their lives. Sadly, her efforts tend to blow up in her face as her siblings take advantage of her and her husband time and time again.

Once Channa passes away, she leaves everything to her youngest son and completely cuts Nathan out leaving him penniless and even without their home. We are then taken into the legal battles between the siblings as Nathan seems to have accepted that he has nothing and moves on with another woman.

The siblings, however, have not moved on. Instead they enter into a bitter legal battle for what each one feels they deserve. I could totally sympathize with the author and feel every pain she was going through. Of course this is a totally one-sided look into the family dynamics and it would be interesting to hear everyone’s take on the situation.

I was captivated by this book and couldn’t put it down. I would have liked to read more about the experiences Channa and Nathan went through during the Holocaust and a little less of the legal battles the siblings were going through.

This is a captivating book which tugs at your heartstrings and makes you shake your head at the horrible things people do to each other. It is well written and readers can tell this was written from the author’s heart and must have been quite difficult to write.

Everything Sucks by Hannah Friedman

“Losing My Mind and Finding Myself in a High School Quest for Cool”

Genre: Young Adult, Non-fiction, Memoirs

In middle school, Hannah is nicknamed “The Monkey Girl”. She doesn’t fit in with the “cool” kids and is nothing more than a misfit. Her parents pull her out of school for a year to live on a tour bus with her father’s band. This further alienates her from the kids at school.

When she enters an exclusive boarding school, her life is changed forever. She’s suddenly a member of the cool group, buying great clothes and even finding a new guy in her life. Still, life is never perfect and…well…everything just sucks!

Hannah’s life takes one wrong turn after another from problems in school, drug addiction, an eating disorder and a boyfriend she’s really not sure she wants to remain with. This is one woman’s journey from school to adulthood.

This book will bring a smile to your face and a few tears to your eyes. Hannah will be someone you truly come to care about. Her story is told with humor and I’m sure it will strike a chord with everyone who reads it. This book feels more like a friend telling you her life story. It’s not just for young adults, everyone will enjoy reading this one.

In The Land of Invisible Women by Qanta A. Ahmed, MD

Genre: Memoir

This is the true story of a female Muslim doctor’s travels from the United States to Saudi Arabia. Due to some Visa problems, Dr. Ahmed must relocate to Saudi Arabia where she works at a hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Immediately she’s hit with culture shock.

Dr. Ahmed paints a vivid picture of the differences between the West and the Middle East. Readers live through her struggles and learn how she adjusts to a completely different lifestyle then she was used to.

The doctor takes us all on an unforgettable journey, showing us what it’s like to be a woman in another land and not treated as an equal. This book is well-written and fast-paced. I wasn’t sure it would be something I’d like, but once I got started, the pages flew by and I found myself feeling the pains Dr. Ahmed went through. It’s an interesting book that will grab your attention from beginning to end.

Wife in the North by Judith O'Reilly - Review

The author is faced with a huge decision – staying in the city of London that she loves dearly or moving to the northern wilds where her husband wants to live. She chooses to leave city life and go with her husband. This means uprooting her two young children, not to mention that she is pregnant with their third child.

Judith quickly realizes that city and country life are very different. Even finding a good cup of coffee can be difficult. We follow Judith through her trial and tribulations, desperately trying to carve out a new life for her family, but it is far from easy. Things become harder as her husband is called away from home often for business. She finds herself left behind with the arduous task of raising three children and trying to fit in with her new neighbors, when what she really wants is to return home to London. It’s hard to know how any of us would react under the same circumstances, but she makes the best of the situation.

Judith O’Reilly gives the reader a pleasant glimpse into the life of a mother and wife, who is trying to get her family adjusted to a new lifestyle. Readers will laugh, as well as shed a few tears, with Judith as she struggles to adapt to country life. I think many women will find themselves able to identify with her struggles and have a deep understanding and empathy for all she goes through. O’Reilly weaves humor and emotions into one well-crafted story that will leave everyone wanting more.

Ms. O’Reilly has her own blog at http://www.wifeinthenorth.com/ I’ve read a bit of it and it makes for interesting reading. I've also posted some articles I've received from her publicist that I thought you might enjoy reading.